Groove to indie music at planned Modo hotels

Music will set the tone of a high-style, lower-price new hotel brand called Modo. The global lifestyle chain, announced this week, aims to build hotels in the U S. and Brazil that offer guests an immersion in music, not just hands-off music memorabilia.

With a mix of high-energy public spaces, moderate room rates ($90 to $150 per night) and tech-heavy room design, the full-service, 150-room Modo hotels may seem like a mash-up of Hard Rock Hotels and Starwood Hotels’ affordable Aloft brand.

The chain will feature Bauhaus-inspired décor. Hotels will include a restaurant, large lounge area, gym, courtyard and the centerpiece: a music center where guests may spin vinyl albums, CDs or download MP3s. On the Modo website, you can already download selections from the collection of independent musicians who will be featured in the hotels.

The first five to 10 Modo hotels are expected to open during the next three years in major metropolitan Brazilian markets such as Sao Paulo, Campinas, Curitiba, Vitoria and Manaus, officials said. In the U.S., the company is targeting gateway cities such as Los Angeles; New York; Kansas City, Mo.; and Miami.

In addition, an as-yet-unnamed sister brand to Modo is to break ground in India later this year, said John Russell, chief executive of Modo and Advaya Hospitality LLC, an advisory company that developed both brands.

The 60-to-80-room Indian hotels, aimed at budget travelers, will offer meeting space and limited food and beverage outlets within a similar music-and-style-oriented atmosphere. They are to be located in Chennai, Tuticorin, Kakinada, Vizag and Vellore.

Russell announced the new hotel plans Tuesday at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit conference in San Diego.